Overview and CQC Inspections

OverallOutstanding

Our inspector's description of this service

Last updated 8 November 2016

Dr C R Dalton’s Practice, also known as Darwen Healthcare,

is housed on the first floor of Darwen Health Centre along with two other GP practices and a range of other community healthcare services. A pharmacy also occupies the premises on the ground floor. There is a car park for patients with allocated disabled spaces, and there is a lift to facilitate access to the first floor for patients experiencing mobility difficulties.

The practice delivers primary medical services to a patient population of approximately 12,480 patients under a General Medical Services (GMS) contract with NHS England. It is part of the NHS Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). In addition to its GMS contract, the practice provides the GP with special interests (GPwSI) cardiology service for the whole Blackburn with Darwen CCG population and also the community anticoagulation service, with other GP practices in the local area referring their patients into these services.

The average life expectancy of the practice population is above the local average and slightly below the national average (81 years for females, compared to the local average of 80 and national average of 83 years, 77 years for males, compared to the local average of 76 and national average of 79 years).

The age distribution of the practice’s patient population is broadly in line with local averages. However, the practice does cater for a higher percentage of patients who experience a long standing health condition (64.3%, compared to the local average of 55.6% and national average of 54%).

Information published by Public Health England rates the level of deprivation within the practice population group as four on a scale of one to ten. Level one represents the highest levels of deprivation and level ten the lowest.

The practice is staffed by six GP partners (five males and one female) and two female salaried GPs. In addition the practice employs three nurse practitioners, three practice nurses, a senior health care assistant (HCA) and two HCAs. Clinical staff are supported by a practice manager and a team of 26 administration and reception staff.

The practice trains final year GP trainees, foundation year two trainees, medical undergraduate students and has recently started to offer student nurse placements and has become involved in the physician associates training programme.

The practice is open between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday, with surgeries offered between 8.30am and 11.30 each morning and 12 noon until 6.00pm each afternoon. Extended hours appointments are available on Monday evenings between 6.30 and 8pm.

Outside normal surgery hours, patients are advised to contact the out of hour’s service by dialling 111, offered locally by the provider East Lancashire Medical Services.

Inspection ratings

We rate most services according to how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led they are, using four levels:

Outstanding – the service is performing exceptionally well.

Good – the service is performing well and meeting our expectations.

Requires improvement – the service isn't performing as well as it should and we have told the service how it must improve.

Inadequate – the service is performing badly and we've taken enforcement action against the provider of the service.

No rating/under appeal/rating suspended – there are some services which we can’t rate, while some might be under appeal from the provider. Suspended ratings are being reviewed by us and will be published soon.

Ticks and crosses

We don't rate every type of service. For services we haven't rated we use ticks and crosses to show whether we've asked them to take further action or taken enforcement action against them.

There's no need for the service to take further action. If this service has not had a CQC inspection since it registered with us, our judgement may be based on our assessment of declarations and evidence supplied by the service.

The service must make improvements.

At least one standard in this area was not being met when we inspected the service and we have taken enforcement action.